Abstract
Korean wastewaters have higher nitrogen concentrations than typical wastewaters of other countries. Most treatment processes such as activated sludge processes will need to supplement extra carbon sources for a complete removal of remaining nitrogen after the initial wastewater treatment, Because of these difficult matters, we have searched wastewater treatment methods that require no additional carbon sources. Wastewater treatment by microalgae in photobioreactors, using a green eukaryotic microalgae, Chlorella kessleri, showed a promising results and thus was selected to study further. This system is not intended to replace the conventional system but is to assist the existing biological treatment systems as a supplemental nitrogen removal process. Thus the secondary treated livestock wastewater was tested. Column type photobioreactors developed in our laboratory were used. When aerated with 5% CO$_2$ balanced with air at 1 vvm and illuminated at 100 ${\mu}$mol/㎡/s under 25$^{\circ}C$ and PH 7-8 by CO$_2$ buffering effect, the maximum nitrogen removal rate was 2.6 mg/L/hr. The results confirmed a possibility of microalgal wastewater treatment system as a secondary system to remove extra nitrogen sources. Based on these experimental results, the size of the optimal microalgal wastewater system was calculated. For the wastewater whose initial nitrogen concentration of 150 mg/L, the optimal batch system was found to be a 2 stage system with a combined retention time of 4.6 day. From the continuous experiments, nitrogen removal rates were examined under different dilution rates and 2 stage system was also found to be the optimal system. The combined retention time for the continuous system was 3.5 days. It is expected that conventional biological wastewater treatment systems followed by microalgal systems would reliably decrease the nitrogen concentration below the government criteria even for the livestock wastewater with low C/N ratio.
Batch experiment에서 다양한 질소 농도에서 구해진 질소제거 속도와 비 생장속도 등의 데이터를 토대로 4.6일의 체류시간을 갖는 2단 처리 장치를 설계하였다. 그리고 continuous experiments에서는 3.5일의 체류시간을 갖는 2단의 처리 장치를 설계하였다. 두 가지 값에 차이는 있지만 실제 현장에서 폐수 처리 장치를 설계할 때 충분한 자료가 되리라고 판단한다. 따라서 위의 결과를 토대로 기존 시스템에 미세조류 시스템을 부가한다면 기존공정의 단점인 잉여질소 제거 장치로서 충분히 역할을 수행해 배출 기준치를 만족시키는 안전한 폐수처리장치가 되리라고 판단한다.
